EVENTS

By
CompiledTerri Theiss /
April 26, 1993

IRA RESPONSIBLE FOR LONDON BLASTS

The Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility Sunday for a huge bomb explosion in London's financial district that killed one man and injured 45 people Saturday. In a statement the IRA said it also planted a much smaller bomb that exploded Friday at an oil terminal in northeastern England.

In the larger bombing, police estimated that one ton of fertilizer-based explosives was packed into an abandoned dump truck. Windows were blown out of offices towers, even all the way to the top of the 52-story National Westminster Bank tower. Police commissioner Owen Kelly called the incident "a blizzard of glass." Tomorrow: The bombing's economic impact. Japan bomb blasts

Police believe leftist radicals protesting the emperor's first visit to the island of Okinawa are behind the weekend arson and bomb attacks in the ancient capital of Kyoto. Three temples and a shrine went up in flames early Sunday. No one was injured.

Leftist extremists oppose the emperor system as a remnant of Japan's militarism. Temples and shrines are often targeted in such attacks because of their links with imperial traditions. Sri Lanka assassination

In Sri Lanka, separatist Tamil Tigers on Sunday denied government accusations that they assassinated opposition leader Lalith Athulathmudali at an election rally three days ago. They blamed the government for the killing.

Athulathmudali's Democratic United Liberation Front is a serious challenger in the May 17 provincial elections. The vote is seen as a test for President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who faces an election next year. Tailhook scandal report

The Navy and the Marine Corps are promising swift action against more than 100 officers implicated in acts of drunkenness and sexual assault at the 1991 Tailhook Association convention.

In releasing the Defense Department's long-awaited report, Deputy Inspector General Derek Vander Schaaf said investigative files on at least 140 officers have been sent to authorities for possible sentencing. Offenders could face administrative discipline, prison terms, or court-martial. Cesar Chavez

Activist Cesar Chavez died Friday. In the 28 years since he attracted national attention in the United States by leading migrant workers in California's the San Joaquin Valley in a strike against grape growers, Chavez become a symbol of hope and dignity for thousands who flocked to the United Farm Workers union.